Stability of Antiferroelectricity and Causes for its Appearance in SmCα * and SmCA * Phases of a Chiral Smectic Liquid Crystal, MHPOBC

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Abstract
The smectic layer thickness and the switching behavior in MHPOBC have been studied as a function of temperature; SmCα * is a tilted phase and is antiferroelectric at least in the higher-temperature region but becomes ferrielectric with decreasing temperature. The gradual appearance of ferrielectric characteristics in SmCα * suggests the emergence of the Devil's staircase. To explain the antiferroelectricity in SmCα * and SmCA *, two types of molecular interactions are proposed: one is the interaction between the spontaneous polarizations in the neighboring layers which is effective in SmCα *, and the other is the pairing of transverse dipole moments responsible for the antiferroelectricity in SmCA *.